Fluidic elements, including fluid handling elements such as pipettors and probes, are used in analysis environments such as an in vitro diagnostics (IVD) environments in which fluids, such as human samples and reagents, are used in various tests. For example, a human sample may be disposed in a tube which is disposed on a carousel or other conveying mechanism to convey the tube through various stations, such as a pipetting station for a pipettor to aspirate a sample of the fluid. The pipettor is lowered into the tube for the aspiration of the sample and may then be dispensed into another unit to be mixed or combined with a reagent, for example. Depending on the test or tests to be performed on the sample, there may be a need to heat the pipettor and/or the sample fluid contained therein. Moreover, the pipettor may be used for many different fluids, resulting in a need to thoroughly clean the pipettor between uses, reducing or eliminating carry-over between the fluids.
This document describes an exemplary heater that can be utilized in IVD environments to quickly and efficiently heat fluidic elements and fluids, as well as clean fluidic elements.